Alternate Reality

First Game and Unfair Advantages

Hermione
Preparing for the game itself was an entirely new experience for me, I've never been under this much pressure and been excited about it. "You better win this for us, Granger Danger, or I just might have to take that necklace back." Theo teases me, smirking as he dodges the slap I send his way... I really hate that nickname. "Oi! That's no way to treat your future husband, Danger!" Blaise calls out from behind us, earning himself a swift hex to the chest from Adrian and the twins. "She could marry any of the four of us, ya great Git." Adrian laughs as Blaise stands up and recovers from his hex. "Pardon me, Dri Dri." Blaise calls out, diving behind a group of seventh years when he uses my nickname for Adrian. "I don't know if he's got guts or if he's stupid." I murmur to Fred, sending the boy into uncontrollable laughter. "Enough of that! You four, get to the pitch. I'll keep Zabeenie over here outta trouble." Theo dodges the punch Blaise Zabini sends his way as the two of them race to the stands, leaving me and the Pucey brothers to watch after them in amusement.

"How I ended up friends with them, I'll never know." I admit to the twins as I let Fred lead me into the Slytherin locker room; The sign on the door reads "No Witches." "Are you lot sure I can be in here?" I ask Adrian as I turn back towards the door, colliding roughly with his chest. "You're a part of the team. You're the first girl on the team in a hundred years, but, you're on the team. Our space is your space. Montage already set you up a private changing room and a private shower stall on the right, the twins and I are the closest people to you in here." A blush spreads across my cheeks when I think about the fact that Fred Weasley had a shower-stall directly across from mine... so did George, and Adrian was right behind them... but, just... Fred. HOLY MERLIN IVE GOT A CRUSH ON TWO OF MY BEST FRIENDS; Theo is understandable, he's in my year and the only person I'd ever let call me Mi Mi... but, Fred? He's two bloody years older than me and... also the first person to ever think of me as a friend.

"Enough with the whatever this is! Uniforms on, now!" Montage snaps at Adrian, who for some reason is still not dressed. "Sorry, Cap." Adrian smirks before disappearing into a stall with the name his initials written on it. "As for you, Little Pucey, your broom is waiting by the exit and the other teams seeker is already on the pitch flying around... so get your arse outside." I can't help but glare when he calls me Little Pucey. "That's not my name." "Hush, Honorary Potter, I said on the pitch now." I hate when he calls me this, at least he's not started with the - "Oi! Mrs. Nott? Am I not speaking clearly? On. The. Pitch. NOW!" The twins shoot him a nastier look than I do when he calls me Mrs. Nott. "They aren't married." George calls out at the same time Fred snarls "Prat." "I don't care if they're married or not, it gets her heated and I want a seeker with a bit of spunk." Montage rolls his eyes, pushing me out the door as he speaks and shoving a broom into my hands. "Air. Now. Diggory is already in the air for Wood and it's absolutely insane how good of a seeker he is;You'd think he'd be a Hufflepuff."

Without bothering to argue with my caption any further, I mount my broom and take off into the air, my eyes immediately finding the Gryffindor seeker, Cedric Diggory. He moves with such accuracy my jaw can't help but drop open in amazement. He's downright enchanting on a broom... I wonder if I could get him to give me some pointers? I hear he's nice... well, as nice as someone who shares a room with Oliver Wood and Percy Weasley can be. "Oi! Granger? Get up here for a minute." I'm snapped out of my trance when the seeker I'd previously been watching calls out to me; waving me to come to him. Quickly I mount my broom and zip off in the direction of the fourth year Gryffindor, expecting to be questioned on why exactly I was watching him warm up. "I know it's your first game, so I'm going back on my word to Oliver and I'm going to tell you what not to do. Do not, under any circumstances, get in between Rollins or Williamson and a bludger. Our beaters have made it their mission to put you in the hospital wing and I won't stand for it."

With that, Cedric flys off in the other direction before quickly circling back to me. "Wood doesn't know what Rollins and Williamson have planned by the way, he's just afraid I'll teach you something." Before he has an opportunity to fly off I ask, "Will you? Teach me something, I mean. Before the Slytherin vs Ravenclaw game?" He contemplates my question for a moment before agreeing. "I think if someone had helped me out when I started, I'd be better than I am now. I'm not going to deny a fellow seeker a learning opportunity." I thank him before finally begging my warm ups. As I'm doing my laps, I spot Theo and Blaise in the crowd... the former mentioned of the two has a shiny new black eye and is sporting a wide grin on his face. Looks like Blaise got sick of Theo's nickname. I contemplate flying over to them, but am stopped before I can move by the rest of the team flying out. I can hear Montage barking out orders at everyone, including the twins.

"I want the two of you flanking, Granger. I don't want a damn bludger anywhere near her. You're the best beaters in this damn school and if you bugger this game I'll have your arses hanging from my wall." Montage threatens the twins, not expecting George to roll his eyes and Fred to scoff. "You act as if we'd be doing anything else." The twins say in unison, watching as Adrian nods his head in confirmation. "I don't care what you three do off the pitch, but on the pitch I expect your best behavior. No fouls this game, they'll be expecting those. Today, we're going to play a nice clean match so Granger can get used to a normal pitch setting." Montage rants at the Pucey brothers, not noticing the entire teams jaws hit the floor when he says it's a clean game today. "How clean, exactly?" One of our chasers, Baddock, asks our captain. "I wanna want this match so clean, even Filch won't be able to insult it." I can't help but gasp at his words, he's serious about this. A clean game for Slytherin is something no one ever sees coming; We're known for cheating and fouling on the field... we're a right pain in the arse.

One pep talk and several slaps later, both teams are in the air and awaiting Madame Hooch to call for the start of the game. "If you get in trouble, yell 'Pucey!', one of the three of us, if not all of us, will be at your side instantly." Fred says, reaching out to pat my back before using his arm to push my broom higher up into the air.I take my position across from Cedric, and watch as he shoots two boys below us warning glares. One boy is blonde hair and blue eyes, and the other has brown hair and green eyes; if not for the beaters bats in their hands, I might mistake their grins as welcoming. "The blonde one is Williamson, and the brunette is Rollins; They're going to be right on your arse most the game. I suggest you play with them a bit... they're new to this too. Rollins struggles with flying backwards and pulling up and Williamson can't make clean drops and he misses the bludger two out of five times." Cedric loudly informs me, making sure the twins and Adrian hear him too. "Thank you, Cedric."

The whistle blows and before I know it Rollins is on my right and Williamson is on my left; the two of them beat the twins to my sides and Rollins starts trying to shoulder me off my broom. With a great roll of my eyes, I put it in reverse and drop a few feet. Confusing the beaters as they ram into each other instead of me. The game goes on like this for a while, until Williamson actually manages to hit a bludger at me. "Fred!" I call out just before the bludger makes contact with my stomach and I'm sent flying from my broom. I close my eyes and wait for impact with the ground, but it doesn't come. "I've got you, Granger." A deep voice breathes in my ear, causing me to tense up. "Thanks, Diggory." I finally manage out as he begins to drop down for my broom. As he starts down, I spot the snitch a few feet in-front of my face and do the only logical thing I can think to do; I launch myself off Cedrics broom and towards the snitch, wrapping my hand around it just before my body makes impact roughly with another set of arms.

"You've got a bloody death wish, Granger." 

Thank, bloody, Merlin for Fredrick Pucey.